Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach

You know your donor. You've built trust. You've explored what matters to them. But when it's finally time to invite them to make a significant gift, the conversation suddenly feels uncomfortable. In this episode of *Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach*, Mark explains why asking for a major gift doesn't have to feel like a sales pitch—and how Executive Directors can approach the conversation with gr...

You know you should stay connected with your major donors. But what do you say when you’re not asking them for money? Too often, nonprofits confuse communicating with donors with actually building relationships. Newsletters, annual reports, event invitations, and appeals all have a role—but sending more communications doesn’t necessarily create a deeper connection. In this episode of Huddle Up wit...

Your organization needs to raise money. So the board starts asking: Who can we ask? But if that's when you begin building relationships with prospective major donors, you've already put yourself at a disadvantage. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach , we're exploring why Major Gift Leaders build donor relationships long before they need to ask for anything. We'll talk about why y...

Major donor meetings can create a lot of pressure for nonprofit leaders. You prepare your talking points, review your programs, memorize the statistics, and try to figure out exactly what you're going to say. But Major Gift Leaders understand that the most powerful skill in a donor conversation isn't speaking. It's listening. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach , we explore donor...

Welcome to Season 3 of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach! Your major donor doesn't want your fundraising pitch. They don't want to sit through a presentation about your programs, your budget, or everything your organization needs. They want a conversation. In this Season 3 premiere, we're exploring one of the most important shifts you can make as a nonprofit Executive Director: moving from pitchi...

Welcome to the Season 2 finale of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach! Over the past season, we've talked about relationship fundraising, transformational generosity, and what it means to become the kind of leader major donors naturally want to invest in. If there's one lesson I hope you've taken away, it's this: major gifts aren't built on fundraising tactics—they're built on leadership. As we wra...

Most Executive Directors didn't choose their role because they wanted to become fundraisers. They accepted the responsibility because they believed in a mission worth fighting for. But at some point, every nonprofit leader discovers the same truth: if the mission is going to grow, someone has to inspire generosity—and that someone is often them. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coac...

What if I told you that your next major donor may already be supporting your organization? Too many nonprofit leaders think major gifts begin with wealthy prospects they've never met. In reality, transformational gifts often come from donors who started with a modest, transactional gift and gradually developed a deeper relationship with the mission. The challenge isn't finding new donors—it's inte...

Have you ever looked through your donor database and wondered what happened to some of your best supporters? They gave generously, attended your events, and seemed deeply connected to your mission. Then...they went quiet. The good news is that silence doesn't necessarily mean they've lost interest. More often than not, they've simply fallen out of regular communication with your organization. In t...

Most nonprofit leaders spend months—sometimes years—working to secure a major gift. But what happens after the donor says "yes"? Too often, organizations celebrate, send a thank-you letter, and move on to raising the next gift. That's a missed opportunity. In this episode of *Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach*, I'm talking about one of the biggest mistakes executive directors make after receiving...

Are you unintentionally making your mission sound smaller than it really is? Many nonprofit leaders are passionate about their work, but when it comes to talking about their organization, they often focus on limitations instead of possibilities. They downplay the vision, minimize the impact, and hesitate to communicate the full potential of what their mission could achieve. In this episode of *Hud...

Starting a nonprofit is an exciting journey, but many founders quickly discover that passion alone isn't enough to sustain an organization. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach, Mark shares some of the most common fundraising and startup mistakes nonprofit leaders make—and how to avoid them. From researching whether your community truly needs another nonprofit to understanding tha...

What if one of the biggest limitations on your organization's fundraising success is the belief that major gifts are only for campaigns? Too many nonprofits wait until they're launching a capital campaign or special initiative before they begin engaging major donors. The problem is that meaningful donor relationships can't be rushed when a funding need arises. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mar...

What happens when the executive director and the board stop operating separately—and start partnering together around fundraising? In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach , we explore how healthy fundraising cultures are built through strong relationships, shared ownership, and intentional collaboration between nonprofit leaders and their boards. Too often, fundraising becomes the bu...

One of the biggest reasons nonprofit leaders struggle to secure transformational gifts has nothing to do with donor wealth — it has everything to do with the confidence behind the ask. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach , Mark dives into why leaders often ask too small, how fear and scarcity thinking quietly limit fundraising success, and why your ask communicates how much you t...

In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach, I break down how to run a fundraising event that does more than sell tickets—it creates real major gift opportunities. We talk about securing sponsorships to cover event costs, setting a clear net fundraising goal, and most importantly, building meaningful connections with attendees that lead to transformational follow-up conversations. If you...

Are you tired of feeling like your nonprofit’s survival is tied to a "Hunger Games" style lottery? In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach, I dive deep into the hidden dangers of grant dependency and the burnout that comes from chasing every "restricted" dollar. We’re breaking down why Competition Fatigue is a choice and how you can reclaim your organization’s sovereignty. Learn how...

Are you communicating with your donors—or actually connecting with them? In a world where email, text, and social media make it easier than ever to reach people, many nonprofit leaders are unintentionally substituting messages for meaningful conversations. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach, we explore why real, interpersonal connection—through phone calls, in-person meetings, o...

Have you ever wondered why a donor who once gave consistently suddenly disappears? It’s a frustrating and often confusing experience for nonprofit leaders. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach, we unpack the real reasons donors stop giving—and it’s not always what you think. More often than not, it comes down to the relationship, not the dollars. I’ll walk you through the most com...

Why do so many nonprofit leaders hesitate when it’s time to ask for a meaningful gift—even when they believe deeply in their mission? In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach, we explore something most fundraising advice ignores: your personal relationship with money. The beliefs, experiences, and messages you’ve carried over time may be quietly shaping how you show up in donor conver...

If you’re leading a nonprofit, you likely feel the tension between a big, meaningful mission and the reality of inconsistent or limited funding. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach, we explore why impactful work doesn’t automatically attract major gifts, the hidden assumptions that keep nonprofit leaders stuck, and why traditional fundraising approaches often feel uncomfortable o...

Many nonprofit leaders say the same thing when fundraising comes up: “I’m not a fundraiser.” And honestly, it makes sense. Most executive directors were hired because they believe deeply in the mission—not because they were trained to raise major gifts. But that belief can quietly hold you back from the very conversations that could transform your organization. In this episode of Huddle Up with Ma...

What do you say when the conversation with a major donor turns toward a gift? For many nonprofit leaders—especially those without formal fundraising training—that moment can feel intimidating and awkward. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach, Mark shares practical, natural language you can use in real donor conversations. You’ll learn how to open the discussion, transition toward...

Is there a wealthy donor you’ve been meaning to reach out to… but haven’t? If so, you’re not alone — and you’re not lazy. In this episode of Huddle Up with Mark The Fund Coach, we unpack the real reason so many nonprofit leaders procrastinate when it comes to high-capacity donors. It’s rarely about strategy. More often, it’s fear — fear of rejection, fear of feeling small, fear of getting it wrong...